Free Our Lizzie by Anna Jacobs Page B

came forward and put an arm round her sister. “She’s got blisters from those shoes, Mam. Bad ones. I was going to ask you about new shoes myself tonight.”
    â€œShe’ll complain about anything, that one will!” Meg turned round abruptly and went into the parlour, from whence issued the sound of muffled weeping.
    Percy shook his head. “You’ll have to stop causing trouble, Lizzie. Mam can’t cope with it.”
    She smeared away the tears. “An’ I suppose I can? Does that mean running around all day with blisters on my feet?”
    â€œA blister’s nothing.” He cocked an ear. His mother’s weeping had died down, but she was still sobbing and he needed to go and comfort her. “Go and get your tea.”
    Lizzie walked over to the cooker to find her food cold and congealing on a plate beside it, not even kept warm as usual. She carried it over to the table and sat picking at it, tears still trickling down her face at the injustice of her mother’s accusations. Eva went to sit beside her, not saying anything, just staying with her.
    â€œMam’s still grieving,” she murmured as she watched Lizzie push the half-empty plate away. “She doesn’t mean it.”
    â€œShe does, you know. She’s never liked me. Never. Only it didn’t matter so much when Dad was alive. Now, I can’t do nothing right for her .”
    Eva pulled the plate back towards her sister. “Eat it. You need to keep up your strength. You’re not the only one to suffer, you know. I was going to go on to secondary school. Miss Blake was sure I’d get a scholarship.”
    Lizzie looked at her and managed a half-smile. “Fancy wanting to stay on at school!”
    â€œWell, I did. More than anything.”
    â€œSorry.” Lizzie reached out one hand and the two sisters held on to one another for a minute.
    When she’d eaten what she could, Lizzie scraped the leftovers into the fire so there’d be no scolding about wasting good food, her movements slow and weary.
    Percy came in, frowning. “Mam’s gone to lie down. You two girls will have to clear up tonight and get the kitchen ready for morning. An’ I don’t want you upsetting her again, Lizzie. Do you hear me? You’re the eldest daughter and should have a bit more sense.” He scowled at them and went to sit down in a chair, picking up the evening paper with a sigh. When his dad had been alive, the evenings had been pleasant times, but now each one seemed worse than the one before, so that he dreaded coming home after work.
    Lizzie banged around, clearing his plate away with hers, glaring at his bent head. It wasn’t fair! Men made more work than anyone, but they never helped clear the mess up, didn’t even lift a finger to help. When she and Eva had finished the washing-up, she said, “I’m going up to bed now. I’m tired.” She was trying to hide how close she still was to tears, and was annoyed when her voice came out gruffly.
    Eva waited a minute then followed her up. She found Lizzie easing off a pair of socks sticky with blood. “Those will have to be soaked. It’s a good job they’re black ones.”
    â€œI’ll do it in the morning.”
    â€œI’ll do it for you now. Give them to me.”
    Percy looked up as Eva came back into the kitchen. Realising he’d been a bit harsh on the girls, he opened his mouth to tell her about the new player for the Overdale football team, by way of a peace offer, but the words remained unspoken as his eyes fell on the socks. “What are you doing?”
    â€œPutting these to soak.”
    He looked down at her feet. “They’re not yours.”
    â€œThey’re Lizzie’s.”
    His mother’s complaints about Lizzie shirking her chores came back to him. “She can do her own.”
    â€œShe’s upstairs crying.” Eva went to wave the socks in